Item S - Public Comment - Matthew O'Neill - No Position - Submission 2

From: [email protected] <[email protected]>
Sent: Monday, August 24, 2026 8:30 AM
To: City Council Internet EMAIL Group <[email protected]> Subject: Website contact form All Council Members

Subject = 8/26/26 City Council Meeting Agenda Item S
Name = Matthew O'Neill
Phone = 8052313168
Email = [email protected]
Comments = Hi folks, I wanted to reach out today as a Camarillo resident concerning our (VCSO and the City of Camarillo's) current relationship with Flock Safety. Attached is some research and analysis of the 2025 Flock Data breach which enabled out-of-state law enforcement agencies and federal agencies to access VCSO Flock Data over 364,000 times in a one month span (February 19- March 19). Some of the searches (299 of them) were related to immigration enforcement. This breach was not only illegal (breaking SB-34 regarding ALPR data being shared out-of-state) but this incident also revealed that Flock Safety is not a transparent partner agency.

After this Data breach occurred and the system bug was ﬁxed in March 2025, Flock did not come forward and notify partner agencies like VCSO that our data was shared, instead they sat on this information until about a year later when Chief Tennessen began pressing Flock Safety about breaches in the City of Santa Cruz and Mountain View PD. Once Chief Tennessen started looking into the matter (January 20, 2026-February 9, 2026), the internal audit from VCSO was launched on February 11, 2026 and VCSO was forced to come forward and notify the public about the unlawfully shared data.

All of this information, including email exchanges from Chief Tennessen and Flock Safety are included in the attached documents.

As a Camarilo resident, this lack of transparency from an agency (Flock Safety) that is holding such sensitive information is not only concerning, but it requires decisive action. As leaders in this community, it is your job to make difficult decisions in the best interest of your residents, and this is one of those decisions. I am calling on all of you to end our current contract with Flock safety.

I will be making a public comment on Wednesday regarding this topic, and I would value and appreciate hearing your perspective on this topic and this data breach in particular.

Thank you for your time and have a great day.

Client IP = 47.144.8.30

Flock Transparency Concern
About a month ago, I made a video about ALPR’s and the concerns that I have regarding the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office using these devices and the potential negative impact they have on the City of Camarillo and its residents. Amongst a litany of other reasons like constitutionality, privacy, and abuse of power, I think a lack of very basic transparency is a huge concern when it comes to Flock Safety and the numerous claims regarding their data sharing habits.

So, I made a FOIA request to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office for some specific information to get to know a little bit more about the relationship between VCSO and Flock and see how transparent these organizations really are.

To start, I want to lay out what I asked for and how the Ventura County Sheriff’s office responded to each item:

1. All contracts, quotes, purchase orders, invoices, and master agreements as it relates to ALPR’s. Which VCSO provided.

2. All search and audit logs for ALPR’s from January 2025 - July 2026 including who performed the search, date and time of the search, plate numbers searched, search terms or justifications and any other information they could provide. VCSO provided Network audit logs for the months requested, but cited Government code 7923.600 and explained that they could not provide the reason and plate number because this would contain "sensitive intelligence information”. These logs are pretty bare bones. I really couldn’t glean a lot of useful information about these search queries, especially without keyword searches that would potentially indicate why the search was done.

3. Hotlists that the department is subscribed to. Which are listed on the VCSO Flock Transparency sight

4. MOU’s or agreements with police departments whom VCSO can share their flock data with. The list of LEA’s with MOU’s are also on their transparency sight

5. Privacy policies and audit policies, which they directed me to their flock transparency website once again.

6. Any internal records of internal affairs investigations related to ALPR system misuses.

They had no records of misuse, but included a February 27, 2026 press release detailing a 2025 incident where, due to a “system bug”, VCOS Flock data was shared with agencies outside of California. The press release revealed that between February 19 and March 19 of 2025, for a one month span, VCSO cameras were utilized 364,000 times by agencies outside of the state of California, which violated state law (SB-34).

The audit further revealed that 299 search justifications entered into the system referenced immigration enforcement.

The last point was the most concerning, and it goes back to both organizations' dedication to transparency.

Now, obviously, this “system bug” was extensive and the fact that this month-long bug was not discovered until nearly a year after it happened by VCSO brings up a concerning scenario that I’d like to lay out for you.

The concerning scenario:

Assuming that VCSO knew nothing about the bug prior to February of 2026, VCSO did not audit their ALPR logs for at least a calendar year. If they had done a comprehensive audit of these ALPR logs, they would have discovered back in February or March of 2025 that outside agencies were accessing this information, violating SB-34, and they would be compelled to come forward and notify the public regarding the sharing of data outside of CA.

Upon looking at the VCSO policy manual, the policy states that ALPR system audits should be “conducted on a regular basis”, which is about as vague as you can possibly be. (page 385)

In the February 27 press release, VCSO has said they now audit their logs on a weekly basis, and I sincerely hope that is the case.

The press release went on to say that there was an internal audit done on February 11, 2026 that led to the discovery of the month-long bug.

Based on email exchanges between Chief Tennessen and Flock Safety, the Sheriff’s office had suspicion of possible illegal sharing of data back on January 20, 2026 citing a case in Santa Cruz that ALPR info was being shared with federal agencies(Pg 29, Flock Communication.pdf).

Flock replied to Chief Tennessen assuring him:
“Commander Tennessen,
Thank you for sharing this information. You are correct, Flock has been getting a lot of attention lately, and I certainly understand your concerns. We have not been hacked. We will not share your data. You own it, and you control who can access it.” (Pg 25, Flock Communication.pdf)

On February 9, Chief Tennessen follows up with Flock stating that:

“Mountain View just pulled the plug on their LPR program, claiming you all were sharing their data with hundreds of LEAs, including federal ones.

I’m going before council Wednesday night to refute a bunch of what has been said about Flock. Can you add some context to the Mountain View situation?” (Pg 24, Flock Communication.pdf)

The context is, and was, that Flock had known that data was shared outside of CA during that time in 2025 and did not come forward to agency partners to disclose that. There is no reality that exists that Flock did not know about the system bug, and the extent of the searches outside of the state by March of 2025. The fact of the matter is, they sat on that information for a calendar year until internal audits and FOIA requests revealed that this data was being illegally shared.

They did this for no other reason than to protect Flock and protect revenue, because Flock knew that a bug like this would irreparably damage their reputation and would inevitably cause backlash like this.

Flock doesn’t care about transparency, Flock doesn’t care about keeping neighborhoods safe or solving property crime, Flock only cares about one thing, and that is generating as much revenue as humanly possible.

As a City, and as a county, we need to seriously look at the agencies that we are trusting with this information and analyze if this is the company that is going to be honest with us. Will they do the right thing when times are hard and when push comes to shove?

Now, I don't trust any company with this data. As I stated in my previous video and letter to council, I think ALPRs are a detriment, an overreach, and I would urge Camarillo City Council to reconsider their use, as a whole. At the very least, I implore that the Camarillo City Council directs VCSO to end their current contract with Flock Safety, because Flock has proven that transparency is not a priority to them.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I look forward to a robust discussion during the Wednesday (8/26/26) meeting. Thank you!
Pg 29, Flock Communication.pdf

Pg 25, Flock Communication.pdf

Pg 24, Flock Communication.pdf

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From: Chris at Flock Safety
To: Bramlette, Jennifer
Subject: Enhanced Guardrails Across CA to Ensure Lawful and Responsible Use of LPRs Date: Monday, March 2, 2026 11:19:01 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi there,
Members of the public understandably have questions about how law enforcement technology is used and who may have access to investigative tools.

Through review of agency audit logs within the Flock platform, it has become apparent that some CA law enforcement agencies, including Ventura County, in 2025 had their camera networks inadvertently accessible to out-of-state law enforcement agencies for a period of time. Flock sincerely regrets the confusion and mistrust this has created within several communities, and made every effort possible to determine the cause of each reported instance of inadvertent sharing. Unfortunately, due to earlier limitations in technical logging, in some cases it is impossible to determine a specific cause.

Regardless of the cause, Flock takes full accountability for this situation, and has made changes and improvements to significantly enhance agency ability to effortlessly comply with applicable laws, regulations, and community norms that govern information sharing, including implementation of settings logging to ensure that all changes going forward are tracked, and standardized guardrails governing data access and sharing are robust.

These new and augmented safeguards include:

CA agencies cannot accept or initiate sharing data out of the state or with federal agencies.

Federal agencies cannot discover or broadly request data sharing in California.

Federal agencies are not part of statewide or national lookup networks.

Immigration-related and reproductive-care-related searches are automatically blocked in CA and are available nationwide by administrator activation.

Every search requires entry of a standardized-based NIBRS offense type to ensure auditability and accountability.

Cities and counties retain 100% control over their LPR data and determine who it is shared with.

Any change to sharing settings is now permanently logged. ‍ These guardrails reflect a broader evolution in how technology providers and law enforcement agencies approach compliance. If you'd like to review the comprehensive list of safeguards and the dates they were implemented, you can visit this blog ( https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/does-flock-share-data-with- ice).

To further address underlying concerns in Flock’s client communities, it is also important to emphasize the following facts, which have always been – and remain – true:

Flock does not contract with DHS agencies.

Flock does not sell data to or share data with DHS agencies.

There is no “backdoor” access to Flock by any agency. ‍ Flock Safety and California law enforcement agencies remain committed to ensuring that investigative technologies are used responsibly, lawfully, and with appropriate oversight. The system in place today includes standardized compliance protections designed to prevent unauthorized federal access through lookup networks and to provide clear audit trails for every search conducted.

You can read more on our blog: https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock- implements-enhanced-guardrails-across-california-to-ensure-lawful-and- responsible-use-of-lprs
Sincerely,
Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Experience

Flock Safety
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
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From: Chris at Flock Safety
To: Alldredge, Kevin
Subject: Flock Leadership Office Hours and Q&A for Southern California Agencies Date: Thursday, March 5, 2026 8:20:06 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Detective Alldredge,
Flock takes nothing more seriously than building best-in-class public safety technology that also enables accountability and transparency. As renewed attention is being given to compliance and transparency efforts in California, we want to lay out the upgrades we have put in place, and those we are planning, to ensure the most seamless as possible experience for our users.

Let’s start with the bedrock principle we operate under: All Flock customers own and control the data collected by our technology on their behalf.

Blocking Out-of-State Discoverability – Upgraded March– June 2025
Sharing settings, sharing relationships, and each instance of data sharing are fully controllable by the customer at Flock.

That being said, we recognize that in the past, out-of-state sharing occurred in some communities in California. Unfortunately, due to earlier limitations in technical logging, in some cases it is impossible to determine a specific cause of that sharing.

Regardless of the cause, Flock takes full accountability for this situation, and has made changes and improvements to make complying with state law and community norms a seamless process.

These statewide upgrades to the sharing interface include:

Disabled the National Lookup feature for all California agencies (March 2025).

Register for Roundtable Sessions
Blocked out-of-state agencies from creating data sharing relationships with California agencies (June 2025).

Reviewed current sharing settings and, with customer consent, revoked any remaining 1:1 sharing with out-of-state agencies (June 2025).

Search Filters – Applied in July 2025
Applied across California, the Search Filter feature automatically flags and blocks keywords for prohibited searches involving 1) immigration and 2) reproductive healthcare. If a search containing a blocked keyword is attempted, agency data will not be queried and no data will be returned.

Mandatory Offense Type Dropdown – Applied in December
2025
Originating from NIBRS offense categories, an offense type is now required to perform any search. This feature creates clarity in audit reports and helps guard against prohibited use cases.

New Login Disclaimer – Applied in February 2026
This popup applies to web and mobile logins and requires users to agree with Flock’s Terms & Conditions/Privacy Policy and CJIS Security Policy before accessing the platform. It also specifically calls out jurisdictions where certain use cases (Immigration and Reproductive Care) are blocked, including Washington’s restriction on both use cases.

Roundtable Sessions
Your feedback is what helps us make our product better every single day. We will be hosting a few virtual roundtable sessions next week for Southern California customers. If you'd like to register, below is the link to the available spots.

I want to reiterate, with all confidence, that Flock’s LPR system can be tailored to comply with each jurisdiction’s laws and policies. We value our partnership with your agency and look forward to the continued impact we can make together.

Sincerely,
Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Success

Flock Safety
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
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Flock takes nothing more seriously than building best-in-class public safety technology that also enables accountability

and

transparency.

renewed

attention

being

given

historical

sharing

settings

certain

communities

California,

want

lay

out

the

upgrades

and

new

features

have

already

put

place

ensure

that

strict

compliance

with

California

law

seamless

possible

for

our

users.

Let’s start with the bedrock principle we operate under: All Flock customers own and control the data collected

our

technology

their

behalf.

Sharing Settings – Upgraded March–June 2025
Flock customers choose whether or not to share their data with any other law enforcement agency, and sharing

relationships

can

revoked

any

time

the

discretion

the

customer.

Sharing

settings,

sharing

relationships,

and

each

instance

data

sharing

are

fully

visible

all

times

every

agency

via

the

user

interface

and

the

audit

logs

that

our

system

creates

ensure

transparency

and

accountability.

That being said, prior to recent upgrades, we recognize that out-of-state sharing occurred in some communities

California,

and

that

clearer

guidance

and

stronger

safeguards

would

have

better

supported

our

customers'

compliance

with

local

laws

and

policies.

take

this

commitment

seriously

and

proactively

improved

our

system,

controls,

and

communication

promote

lawful

and

transparent

use

our

platform.

Specifically, to make compliance with California law easier, last year Flock made a series of statewide upgrades

the

sharing

interface:

● Disabled the National Lookup feature for all California agencies (March 2025). ● Blocked out-of-state agencies from creating data sharing relationships with California agencies (June

2025).
● Reviewed current sharing settings and, with customer consent, revoked any remaining 1:1 sharing with

out-of-state

agencies

(June

2025).

It is no longer possible for California agencies to create sharing relationships with out-of-state or federal agencies,

either

deliberately

mistake,

and

such

sharing

cannot

enabled

Flock.

Search Filters – Applied in July 2025
Applied across California, the Search Filter feature automatically flags and blocks keywords for prohibited searches

involving

immigration

and

reproductive

healthcare.

containing

blocked

keyword

attempted,

agency

data

will

not

queried

and

data

will

returned.

Mandatory Offense Type Dropdown – Applied in December 2025 Originating from NIBRS offense categories, an offense type is now required to perform any search. This

feature creates clarity in audit reports and helps guard against prohibited use cases.

Roundtable Sessions – Bay Area (Next Week)

Your feedback is what helps us make our product better every single day. We will be hosting a few virtual roundtable

sessions

week

for

Bay

Area

customers.

you'd

here's

the

link

the
available spots: Registration Here
I want to reiterate, with all confidence, that Flock’s LPR system can be tailored to comply with each jurisdiction’s

laws

and

policies.

value

our

partnership

with

your

agency

and

look

forward

the

continued

impact

can

make

together.

Sincerely, Chris Colwell SVP Customer Experience | Flock Safety

From: Chris Colwell
To: Sheriff TSU
Subject: Flock Safety | Understanding Sharing, Search, and Audits in the Flock LPR System Date: Wednesday, August 20, 2025 12:10:01 PM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hello,

We have recently been asked how data sharing works with Flock License Plate Readers (LPRs). We hope you find this information helpful.

Each LPR camera in your network captures vehicular evidence to help solve crime. That data belongs to you as the customer. As the system administrator, you have full control over whether and how your agency shares this information with others.

Time and again, data sharing has proven invaluable—helping agencies locate kidnapped children across state lines, find missing seniors, and solve cross-jurisdictional narcotics and burglary cases. To make this possible, the Flock platform provides flexible options for sharing:

1. National sharing
Opt into Flock’s national sharing network. Access via the national lookup tool is limited—users can only see results if they perform a full plate search and a positive match exists within the network of participating, opt-in agencies. This ensures data privacy while enabling broader collaboration when needed.

2. Share with agencies in specific states only
Share with agencies with similar laws (for example, regarding immigration enforcement and data)

3. Share within your state only or within a certain distance You can share information with communities within a specified mile radius, with the entire state, or a combination of both—for example, sharing with cities within 150 miles of Kansas City (which would include cities in Missouri and neighboring states) and / or all communities statewide simultaneously.

4. Share 1:1
Share only with specific agencies you have selected

5. Don’t share at all

In some states, sharing is automatically restricted as required by law, and searches with search terms that indicate a purpose prohibited by law have been disabled in our product. For example, in Virginia, out-of- state sharing is disabled and in Illinois, accessing data for certain purposes is not allowed.

However, you are responsible for knowing your agency’s laws and policies, and ensuring that you and your agency’s users are using the Flock system in compliance with these rules.

Importantly, private customers never have access to law enforcement data.

By giving you control over how your data is shared, Flock Safety makes it easier to collaborate across jurisdictions while maintaining compliance and protecting ownership. For more, see this recent statement
on our website.

To review and/or adjust your sharing settings, please follow the linked instructions here. If you’d like to discuss how your agency can get the most out of these options, I’d be happy to connect.

Best regards,

Chris Colwell
SVP of Customer Experience

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From: Matthew Nicholass
To: Tennessen, Eric
Subject: Flock Supporting Documents
Date: Friday, February 20, 2026 8:11:45 AM
Attachments: Flock Letter - Bay Area Updates (2).pdf
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hello Commander Tennessen,
Thank you and the rest of your leadership for meeting with us on Wednesday. I want to follow up with some documents that you may or may not have already seen. Sorry if they are duplicates, but I wanted to ensure you were aware.

The first attachment is the letter sent by VP of Customer Experience, Chris Colwell, to Northern California agencies in response to the Mountain View concerns. Note: the link within the document has expired.

Here are links to customer-facing information about how Flock is responding to security concerns:

Security Claims and Facts
Does Flock share with ICE?
Has Flock been hacked?
Thanks again for meeting with us earlier in the week. Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to help. We value our partnership and are here to support you.

Respectfully,
Matt
Matthew Nicholass
Customer Success Manager
flocksafety.com

From: Matthew Nicholass
To: Tennessen, Eric
Subject: Follow up
Date: Friday, February 27, 2026 7:52:45 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Commander Tennessen,
I have confirmed my prior statement with two other Flock Team members. We are only able to confirm if a Lookup search shown on a Network Audit returned a result starting on August 8, 2025. Prior to that date, our system did not track if a Lookup search produced a result.

I apologize for any confusion this may have caused you.

Respectfully,
Matt
--
Matthew Nicholass
Customer Success Manager
flocksafety.com

From: Matthew Nicholass
To: Tennessen, Eric
Subject: Follow Up
Date: Friday, March 13, 2026 12:02:34 PM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Commander Tennessen,
Thank you for taking the time to meet with Louis and I earlier this week. It was very informative, and I'm glad we were able to spend time with you and Jen reviewing your settings. We were able to go through all of the areas within the account to help ensure you and your team understood the options and confirm they were set to meet your needs. I look forward to working with Jen to take a deeper dive and adjust the Roles or settings if needed. I am glad you have your settings locked down.

Have a great weekend,
Matt
--
Matthew Nicholass
Customer Success Manager
flocksafety.com

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From: Chris at Flock Safety
To: Alldredge, Kevin
Subject: How to Answer Council & Community Questions on Sharing, Access, and Audits Date: Monday, March 30, 2026 1:33:02 PM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Detective Alldredge,
Across the country, many of you are getting questions from council members, city attorneys, and community stakeholders about how Flock handles federal access, data sharing, and audit logs. None of this is new policy, but we know having simple, ready-to-share language is often just as important as the underlying controls.

Below is a short Q&A you can share directly with your council or other oversight bodies. You can forward this email as-is, or copy/paste the section below into your own memo, packet, or slide deck.

Council Members,
We’ve heard questions about how our Flock system handles data sharing and audit logs. We want to share a clear, concise summary you can rely on and reuse in conversations with constituents.

Q&A: How Our Flock Sharing and Audit Logs Work

1. Can federal agencies see our Flock data by default? (If you are in California or Virginia, due to state law, this question does not apply to your agency. All Federal sharing is disabled by default in CA and VA).

No. Federal agencies and other outside organizations cannot see our data by default. Our agency is unable to receive Sharing Requests from federal agencies unless we choose to allow it. We control if, when, and with whom we share, and we can turn sharing off or revoke it at any time.

2. Can other law enforcement agencies or organizations access our Flock cameras or data without our knowledge?
No. Other law enforcement agencies or organizations cannot access our Flock cameras or data without our knowledge. By default, our agency is defaulted to only be discoverable for sharing at the 50-mile and Statewide radius and no one outside our organization can see our cameras or data unless we accept a sharing request from them. This discoverability only means we can receive requests from them and then choose how to respond.

Access is only possible if either of the following things are true:

1. We choose to allow auto-approvals for local and state agencies for certain access.

2. We explicitly review and approve a specific sharing request from another agency or organization.

We decide if, when, and with whom we share. We can turn sharing off at any time or revoke sharing with any agency or organization we previously approved.

3. How does a new federal sharing relationship get created, and does this change existing agreements?
Because of the extra sensitivity around federal sharing, there are extra controls. To start any new federal sharing relationship, three things must happen:

1. We turn on the ability for a federal agency to send us a sharing request (off by default).

2. They request access.

3. We approve the request.

If we don’t approve it, they don’t get access. These defaults do not change or cancel any existing federal MOUs or agreements we have already put in place; they mainly govern new relationships going forward.

4. Does Flock work with DHS or ICE/CBP, or sell them our data? No. Flock does not contract with DHS agencies, does not sell or share data with DHS, and has no relationship with ICE or CBP. More detail:
https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/does-flock-share-data-with-ice https://www.flocksafety.com/privacy-ethics

5. Is there a “backdoor,” or can Flock quietly change the logs? No. There is no backdoor access for any agency. Audit logs are designed to be complete, transparent, and reviewable. Entries are written automatically, retained for oversight, and cannot be quietly edited or overwritten; changes to sharing or settings appear as separate events, not hidden modifications.

6. What do our Flock audit logs capture, and are searches justified? Our audit tools capture who searched, when, what they searched, which agency they’re from, and the associated offense type, creating a record we can review and, if needed, share with appropriate oversight bodies. Searches are tied to a standardized NIBRS-based offense type, so there is a clear public-safety justification documented for every search.

In Network Audits, certain sensitive fields from outside agencies (such as officer names, specific plates, case numbers, and some search filters) are masked for safety, while full details for our own users remain visible in our Organization Audit logs.

7. How is accidental or unauthorized federal access being prevented going forward?
Flock has implemented stricter sharing settings, permanent logging of sharing changes, NIBRS-based justifications, and state-specific guardrails (for example, in certain states, such as CA and VA, sharing with federal agencies is completely disabled and cannot be turned on or configured otherwise). Details:
https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/flock-implements-enhanced- guardrails-across-california-to-ensure-lawful-and-responsible-use-of- lprs
https://www.flocksafety.com/blog/does-flock-share-data-with-ice

8. Has Flock been “breached,” and why do I keep hearing that it has? No. The recent concerns agencies are hearing are not the result of a successful hack or compromise of Flock’s platform or cloud environment. The “breach” narrative you may see in YouTube videos, blogs, or on social media usually collapses several different things together, like FOIA releases of audit logs, historical sharing/configuration issues, how Network Audits appear when exported, and policy debates about federal access, and then labels all of that as a “breach,” even though it is not a successful cyberattack. In at least one widely circulated video, a camera was illegally removed from service and taken off the network before it was probed, which is very different from an attacker breaking into an active, in-service device. When issues are identified, Flock addresses them through product changes, guardrails, and direct communication with affected agencies, not because attackers gained unauthorized access to your data.

In addition, we’ve put together a few short videos that walk through common questions we hear from council members and community stakeholders. These can be helpful to share directly or to use as a quick reference ahead of meetings:

What Flock License Plate Readers Actually Do (and What They Don’t) A clear overview of what LPR technology captures, how it works, and the boundaries of the system.

Inside a Flock LPR Search: How Investigators Actually Use the Tool A step-by-step look into how Flock LPR searches as conducted and how results are interpreted.

Who Can See Flock Data? How Sharing Controls and Audits Really Work
An explanation of access controls, approval workflows, and how audit logs create transparency and accountability.

Our goal is to ensure the technology we use is both effective for public safety and consistent with the expectations of our community and its elected leaders. If there are additional questions you are hearing, we’re glad to address them and, where appropriate, add them to this Q&A.

Respectfully,
<Chief / Sheriff / Department Name>
Best,
Chris Colwell,
SVP, Customer Experience

Flock Safety
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
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From: Chris at Flock Safety
To: Bramlette, Jennifer
Subject: Important Update to Flock Audit Logs to Protect Officer Safety & Active Investigations Date: Friday, December 12, 2025 11:08:27 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

To our customers,
Flock was founded on the principle of promoting public safety, while partnering closely with law enforcement agencies across the country to bring clarity and allow accountability, which helps to maintain public trust.

That commitment to transparency remains unchanged, but the environment around us has changed dramatically. We cannot let those abusing our transparency compromise officer safety and the safety of our community.

To that end, we are making an important update to how Flock’s Network Audit Logs display information. As a reminder, Network Audit logs are the breadcrumbs for reciprocal sharing on Flock’s National Lookup tool:

Effective this week, Network Audit Logs will now only include:

A unique alphanumeric search identifier
Searching agency name
Date of search
Timeframe
Number of networks searched
Offense Type or free text search reasons
To protect officer safety and active investigations, Network Audit Logs will no longer include:

Officer names
Specific plates searched
Vehicle fingerprint information
These changes ensure agencies retain visibility and accountability while preventing the misuse of sensitive operational data. And all the details will be preserved with and visible to the originating agency. If agency B wants to understand more details in a Network Audit, they can simply contact the originating agency A and reference the unique alphanumeric search identifier to cross-reference the specific information they require.

Your Organization Audit Logs, the audit trail for your agency’s own users, will remain unchanged. You will continue to have full access to all details you previously relied on.

Additionally, our new required Offense Type
field, which is rolling out to all
customers this month, will bring unprecedented consistency and clarity to search reporting. By standardizing intent across all Flock searches, we eliminate subjective or inconsistent entries while strengthening compliance and public accountability.

Once the required Offense Type drop-down is live for a customer, we will replace the Free Text search reason in the Network Audit with the Offense Type.

We remain deeply committed to transparency and democratic oversight. But when transparency is weaponized to harm officers, derail investigations, and embolden criminal networks, we have a responsibility to act. These updates help us strike the right balance: maintaining clear, consistent auditability while ensuring no sensitive information can be exploited to jeopardize your work or your people.

For any questions related to these updates, we’ve already shared details directly with Chiefs and Sheriffs where we have contact information. We recommend coordinating with your department leadership, who can work with us directly or through your local Flock team.

For support needs, please contact [email protected] .

Respectfully,
Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Experience
Flock Safety

Flock Safety
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
This email was sent to [email protected].

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From: Matthew Nicholass
To: Tennessen, Eric
Subject: Re: Unlawful Access of Flock Data
Date: Tuesday, February 10, 2026 4:02:47 PM
Attachments: Flock Letter - Bay Area Updates.pdf
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Commander Tennessen,
It was great talking to you today. Here is the link to the upcoming Flock Forum and I am also adding a link to a webinar that we are hosting this Thursday on Flock Admin questions. It would be great if you and /or your captain could make the webinar on Thursday.

Flock ForumFebruary 24, 2026
Admin Training Webinar Info:

We’re excited to invite you and your team to an upcoming webinar for our Southern California Customers on February 12th at 1:00PM where we will discuss data sharing, PRA requests and so much more. Our Legal and Public Affairs Team will discuss all relevant topics including:

Best practices for handling Public Records Act (PRA) requests Privacy considerations and how to ensure compliance
How to audit and manage your agency’s Flock data effectively This training is designed to benefit not only command staff but also analysts and/or any team members involved in PRA submissions or Flock account auditing. Please send this invite to all relevant teams.

Date & Time: February 12 @ 1:00PM
Register Here: Click Here
We look forward to connecting with your agency and helping ensure your team is confident and informed on these important topics.
**We previously hosted this session in Carlsbad in December 2025. Feel free to attend again or share with others who could not join us at the last session.

Register now to reserve your spot!
Respectfully,
Matt
On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 5:19 PM Matthew Nicholass <[email protected] >
wrote:

Hi Commander Tennessen,
Thank you for reaching out. I have reached out to our public affairs team to see how we can help out. I'll get back to you tomorrow.

Respectfully,
Matt
On Mon, Feb 9, 2026 at 8:04 AM Tennessen, Eric <[email protected] >
wrote:

Hi Matt,

Heard that Mountain View just pulled the plug on their LPR program, claiming you all were sharing their data with hundreds of LEAs, including federal ones.

I’m going before council Wednesday night to refute a bunch of what has been said about Flock. Can you add some context to the Mountain View situation?

Thanks,
Eric

photo Eric Tennessen, Commander
Camarillo Police Chief
805-797-7102
sheriff.venturacounty.gov
applysheriff.venturacounty.gov

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From: Matthew Nicholass <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 3:56 PM
To: Tennessen, Eric <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Unlawful Access of Flock Data

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Commander Tennessen,

Thank you for sharing this information. You are correct, Flock has been getting a lot of attention lately, and I certainly understand your concerns. We have not been hacked. We will not share your data. You own it, and you control who can access it.

As discussed, I also attached the screenshots you requested.

Flock has sent several communications to city and county leaders, clarifying the misinformation that has been publicized. I have forwarded your request to our legal team, requesting an "official" response about your data sharing. I will also include a link to a document from our CEO, Garrett Langley, on data ownership and sharing. Please let me know if that letter will suffice, and I will withdraw my request from our legal team. I also included the content of a letter that was shared by one of our VPs below.

CEO Letter to Customers

Again, I appreciate our partnership and will continue to work with you and your team to ensure your data remains safe, secure, and in your control.

Respectfully,

Matt

Chiefs,

Over the last several weeks, Flock has faced one of the most challenging periods in our history - and one of the most important. In that time, agencies like yours have helped us demonstrate something that matters deeply: when facts, transparency, and public safety lead the conversation, communities respond.

When major crimes capture national attention, Flock often operates quietly behind the scenes, helping agencies connect the dots and bring suspects into custody; just yesterday, the public learned that the Brown / MIT shooter investigation was aided by Flock
as Rhode Island and New Hampshire seamlessly shared
data across a multi-state network, demonstrating exactly why secure, cross- jurisdictional sharing matters and how a connected Flock network can turn fragmented information into fast, coordinated action when it counts most.

In just the past two weeks, Flock partner agencies succeeded before city council in San Diego
and Oakland - among the most complex and scrutinized jurisdictions in the country. Despite organized opposition and widespread misinformation, the outcomes were clear: communities listened, leaders engaged, and law enforcement prevailed.

That success is not accidental. Over the past three weeks, our executive leadership team has met directly with more than 300 Chiefs through small, candid roundtables across the country. We’ve heard your concerns: the frustration, the pressure, and the responsibility you carry. The consistent theme is that you want partners who are honest, responsive, and committed to standing alongside you when the work gets difficult.

Product Progress Focused on Clarity and Safety

In recent weeks, our Product and Engineering teams moved quickly to deliver new system updates designed to support compliance, protect sensitive information, and provide meaningful clarity, without putting officers or investigations at risk.

These include:
· Expanded privacy protections in your Network Audit by redacting user names, license plates, filters, and case numbers to better safeguard your activity data.
· Continued rollout of offense-type categorization drop-down field for clearer reporting and oversight
· New controls that balance transparency with officer and public safety

The feedback from agencies and elected officials has been overwhelmingly positive. Leaders are asking for clarity - not raw data that can be misinterpreted or misused - and these updates deliver exactly that.

Before year-end, we will also be releasing a Federal Opt-In capability, giving agencies additional control and flexibility when working with federal partners.

Legal Momentum

Last week, a Washington State judge ruled that license plate reader data is exempt from the state’s public records law. While this ruling differs from a prior opinion and the broader debate continues, it represents meaningful momentum as we head into a challenging legislative cycle. It reinforces a principle many Chiefs already know firsthand: public safety data requires careful stewardship, not weaponization.

Looking Ahead

This is a demanding season for law enforcement. The issues are complex, the scrutiny is real, and the stakes are high. But Flock is entering this next phase stronger than ever, with expanded legal resources, a fast-moving product and engineering organization, a deeply engaged community team, and an executive group fully aligned behind our customers.

Most importantly, we remain committed to operating like a first responder: moving quickly, telling the truth, and standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the agencies we serve.

Thank you for your leadership, your partnership, and your trust. We are confident that the work ahead will make all of us stronger.

Respectfully,
Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Experience | Flock Safety

On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 10:35 AM Tennessen, Eric
<[email protected]
> wrote:

Also, just saw this. You all are under attack from a lot of directions.

https://deflock.me/

Eric Tennessen, Commander
Camarillo Police Chief
805-797-7102
sheriff.venturacounty.gov
applysheriff.venturacounty.gov

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Matthew Nicholass <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, January 20, 2026 8:35 AM
To: Tennessen, Eric <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Unlawful Access of Flock Data

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Commander Tennessen,

We can certainly do that for you. Do you happen to have 10 minutes to jump on a call so I can clarify a few things for you before we create a letter? If so, I can send you a quick Zoom link.

Thank you,

Matt

On Tue, Jan 20, 2026 at 8:16 AM Tennessen, Eric
<[email protected]
> wrote:

Hi Matthew,

Our city council had a concerned citizen write them regarding the city of Santa Cruz terminating their contract with you all over access concerns. According to an article, out of state agencies were somehow allowed to authorize Santa Cruz’s data more than 4,000 times.

https://www.kqed.org/news/12069705/santa-cruz-the-first-in-california-to-terminate- its-contract-with-flock-safety

Can you please provide me with an official response from Flock on whether any data from the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, through our contract with Flock, was accessed by out of state agencies?

The request is somewhat urgent, so a prompt response would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Eric

Eric Tennessen, Commander
Camarillo Police Chief
805-797-7102
sheriff.venturacounty.gov
applysheriff.venturacounty.gov

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

--
Matthew Nicholass
Customer Success Manager
flocksafety.com

--
Matthew Nicholass
Customer Success Manager
flocksafety.com
--
Matthew Nicholass
Customer Success Manager
flocksafety.com

Ryan Stover
GSA Procurement
Principal Buyer
805-654-3798

From: Gibson, Kathy <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, April 9, 2025 8:49 AM
To: Stover, Ryan <[email protected]>
Cc: Villagomez, Natalie <[email protected]>; Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]>
Subject: Request for Vendor Assistance

Good morning Ryan,

Our office has been trying to request an invoice for Flock Safety to process a payment. Our records indicate that we were up for renewal as of February 2025 and have sent emails long before this date, as an interruption in service would negatively impact our operations. In our most recent correspondence (attached) Flock Safety sent a copy of a contract that references the ORTG, a specialized unit within the Sheriff's Office but not Emergency Services. Patrick Maynard asked that cameras at the location be removed and in doing so, it was identified that cameras were mislabeled and since then we have been advised by Flock Safety that an amendment to the contract will need to be initiated.

My questions to you are, can you please confirm that this contract is not the Emergency Services contract or that it is a countywide contract? Is the date on the CT 200*211 correct (February 2025) because we have been advised that we have to wait until June 2025 for an invoice. The email thread is included for your reference.

If we need to remove cameras from this contract (if we didn't already remove them when we processed the co-term) then we'll need to process an amendment. Otherwise - if the cameras installed aren't actually under contract, we can/should come collect them.

I've asked my
team to look into as well.

Let me know if you have any questions on this,
Sam

On Tue, Apr 8, 2025 at 2:46 PM Gomez, Claudia <
[email protected]> wrote:

Good morning Sam,

I’m following up to see if you’ve had an opportunity to review our invoice.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo
Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

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From: Sam Meyer <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, April 4, 2025 7:29 AM
To: Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Understood,

Thank you,
Sam

On Thu, Apr 3, 2025 at 7:12 PM Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]> wrote:

Good afternoon Sam,
Apologies for the late response. Please remove services from in Camarillo and adjust invoice accordingly.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo
Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

Do you have time for a phone conversation? I want to make sure I'm understanding correctly, so I can ensure I'm advising internal teams to make the right adjustments.

The contract you are referencing has cameras at:
#27 - -
#26 -
"

We have these marked in our system as "do not renew". Unless that's an error, we mark that status in two scenarios: a) when we co-term/cancel and replace existing contracts (which you have done in the past) b) When a customer elects not to renew.

I've already inquired with the team to see if we've have included these cameras in the historical co-term. My question to you is - Should that be the case? If yes, then we should be accounting for those cameras in that separate invoice. If no, I have some more research to do.

Thank you for working with me on this -
Sam

On Fri, Mar 28, 2025 at 2:24 PM Billing <
[email protected]> wrote:

Hi All,
I've included your current customer success manager on this email, Sam Meyer, regarding the account changes.

We are also working on getting you that invoice for the 2/25-2/26 period.

Thank you,

Brandi Schiller

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Gomez, Claudia [[email protected]]
Sent: 3/28/2025, 10:27 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]; [email protected] Subject: FW: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES
Good morning Brandi,

We have been trying unsuccessfully to obtain an invoice from your company for the period of 2/18/25 to 2/17/26. Additionally, we requested changes to our account but have not yet received confirmation. We would greatly appreciate your response today.

Remove services at , Camarillo, CA.

Invoice for service Only at , Camarillo, CA.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo
Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Gomez, Claudia
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2025 9:17 AM
To: Billing <[email protected]>
Subject: FW: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES
Importance: High

Good morning,

I was wondering if you might have an update.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo
Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Gomez, Claudia
Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2025 11:52 AM
To: Billing <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

Hi Brandi,

The attached invoice that you just sent me was already paid last year. I’m looking for the new invoice for the period covering 2/18/25 through 2/17/26.

Thank you,
Claudia

Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
photo
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Billing <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2025 11:22 AM
To: Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]>
Cc: Gibson, Kathy <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi Claudia,
The cameras in question were removed from this contract. However, the way the system is set up, those line items will remain on the invoice until the contract renews.

The cameras that have been removed were credited off in the full amount of $14,000.

Rebecca added a note to the invoice explaining which cameras are actually being billed for on this invoice.

If you have any other questions, please let us know.

Thank you,
Brandi Schiller

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Gomez, Claudia [[email protected]
]
Sent: 3/14/2025, 8:16 AM
To: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES
Hi Rebecca,

I noticed that we are still being charged for the full services, despite our previous request for the following adjustment. Please revise the invoice accordingly.

Remove services at , Camarillo, CA.

Only keep services at , Camarillo, CA.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Billing <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, March 14, 2025 6:30 AM
To: Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]>; Gibson, Kathy <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi Claudia & Kathy,

Thank you for your patience while I got an answer on this from our internal team.

The $14,000 credit applied towards INV-35579 is for removal of the cameras stated below - I have updated the Notes section on the invoice to make this more clear as well. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

Rebecca Sloss
Accounts Receivable Specialist

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Gomez, Claudia [[email protected]
]
Sent: 3/11/2025, 11:27 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES
Hi Rebecca,

I'm concerned that our contract with your company expired nearly a month ago.

I prefer to handle contracts more proactively and would like to process your payment as soon as possible.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Billing <[email protected]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 8:14 AM
To: Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi Claudia,

I just followed up with the team that handles this process this morning - apologies for the delay.

Rebecca Sloss
Accounts Receivable Specialist

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Gomez, Claudia [[email protected]
]
Sent: 3/11/2025, 8:06 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES
Good morning,

I was wondering if there is an update on the requested invoice.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Billing <[email protected]>
Sent: Thursday, March 6, 2025 12:45 PM
To: Gomez, Claudia <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi Claudia,

I'm actively working on getting this resolved internally - appreciate your patience. I will let you know as soon as I have an update on this.

Rebecca Sloss
Accounts Receivable Specialist

--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: Gomez, Claudia [[email protected]]
Sent: 3/6/2025, 11:29 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: FW: Ventura County Sheriff's OES
Good morning,

I was wondering if there is an update on this request.

Thank you,
Claudia

photo Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166
(805)826-2854
800 S. Victoria Ave, Ventura, CA, 93009
venturasheriff.org
applyventurasheriff.org

DOWNLOAD OUR APP

From: Gomez, Claudia
Sent: Tuesday, March 4, 2025 10:35 AM
To: Billing <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: Ventura County Sheriff's OES

Hi Rebecca,

I appreciate your quick response. Could you update the invoice to reflect the changes? We are canceling services on and retaining those on . Please revise the invoice accordingly.

Thank you,
Claudia

Claudia Gomez
Program Assistant, Sheriff's Emergency Services
(805)654-5166

From: Sam Meyer
To: Fryhoff, James
Subject: The Home Depot Camera Share
Date: Wednesday, March 26, 2025 6:04:46 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Sheriff Fryhoff,
Sam here with Flock, It's great to e-meet you sir, I manage the Law Enforcement Major Accounts Customer Success team here at Flock. We are assisting in a process, in coordination with The Home Depot (THD), to provide agencies with state access to THD cameras for both search and hotlist capabilities as a part of their rollout.

After I send this email, I will put in the internal request to have The Home Depot Flock cameras shared with you throughout the region. The camera share process is manual on the Flock side, and once approved, we will do our best to complete these in a timely manner.

If your agency has any questions or concerns, please feel free to have anyone contact me directly.

If you wouldn't mind reviewing the statement below; no further action is required by you afterwards.
—
The Home Depot would like to provide your agency with state-wide access to The Home Depot owned Flock safety systems. This technology will assist in preventing or investigating criminal activity in the local community we both serve. The Home Depot technology and your department’s access to such should only be used for bona fide investigations, which are documented within your department and via audit trail within the Flock Safety platform. These investigative tools and technology will not be permitted for personal use, for use on unauthorized devices or by unauthorized users within your department. I understand if the technology is not used correctly, The Home Depot reserves the right to terminate the department’s access to The Home Depot owned Flock safety systems.

Thank you sir and stay safe,
Sam Meyer
408-234-8497

--
Sam Meyer
678-992-5008 flocksafety.com
App Banner Image

Logo
From: Chris at Flock Safety
To: Alldredge, Kevin
Subject: Update on Federal Law Enforcement Collaboration and Local Control Date: Monday, March 23, 2026 6:05:42 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Dear Detective Alldredge,
We are writing to share an important update regarding Flock Safety’s work with federal law enforcement agencies, a necessary extension of our mission to help communities stay safe while earning and keeping public trust.

We understand that you face a daily reality where violent offenders do not respect jurisdictional boundaries. Recent high-stakes incidents underscore that in cases involving active fugitives, missing persons, or serious violent crime, coordination across city, county, and state lines is critical, and time is of the essence.

We have published a detailed blog post (which you can read here) that explains
the principles guiding our work with federal agencies.

If you do not currently share with federal agencies, the default setting is that you are undiscoverable to any federal agencies. If you would like to change that, you must proactively log into Flock and adjust your settings.

Please be aware that clients who are currently sharing with federal law enforcement agencies, or who enable federal sharing in response to this message, may receive a data sharing request from the FBI in the coming days.

If you receive one, please review and approve or deny the request at your earliest convenience. You can reach out to me with any questions.

Below are the key takeaways from this update:

Our Mission Remains the Same: Safety and Civil Liberties From day one, Flock was designed to balance public safety needs with civil liberties. This principle guides our entire system:

Purpose-Built: Focused on public safety, not generalized monitoring.

Local Ownership: Data is owned and controlled exclusively by local agencies, not a centralized database.

Accountability: Built-in audit logs, access controls, and default limited data retention ensure transparency and responsible use.

Principled Collaboration with Federal Law Enforcement
To address how crime moves faster than jurisdictions, while acknowledging the reality of state and local sharing restrictions, we are reiterating our compliance features, built on the same foundation of transparency and accountability we’ve committed to you.

We never compromise on local control:

Principle Detail
Local Control
Reigns
Supreme
Flock data belongs solely to the agency that owns the
cameras. There is no backdoor access. Any sharing
must be explicitly permission-based and opt-in by
the local agency.

Default:

Undiscoverable
Our default setting is to make ALL local police
agencies undiscoverable by federal law
enforcement within the Flock system.

The "Three
Gates" for
Sharing
For a local agency to establish a sharing relationship
with federal law enforcement, three steps must be
taken:

1. Local agency explicitly allows federal law
enforcement to discover their presence (Off by
default).

2. Federal law enforcement must then request
access.

3. The local agency must then accept the request.

Note: This process is specifically for initiating new
data-sharing relationships with federal agencies. It
does not alter or supersede any existing data-sharing
agreements you already have with federal agencies.

Customers who already have a federal sharing
relationship in place are not affected by the 'default
off' setting.

Legitimate
Public-Safety
Use
Use is strictly tied to legitimate public-safety
objectives (serious crimes, active threats, etc.). Every search is logged with an associated NIBRS-based
offense type.

This principled integration is the responsible path forward. It ensures that essential tools are available when coordination saves lives, while maintaining the strictest guardrails and upholding your full control over your data.

We remain committed to our guiding principles: Safety with limits, human judgment always, auditable by design, transparency earns trust, and Local control, without qualification or condition. We encourage you to read the full blog post for a deeper understanding of our commitments. Thank you for your partnership in keeping our communities safe.

Sincerely,
Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Experience

Flock Safety
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
This email was sent to [email protected].

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From: Chris at Flock Safety
To: Sheriff TSU
Subject: Update on Limited Condor Misconfiguration
Date: Tuesday, December 23, 2025 9:34:38 AM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi TS,
We recognize that you may have noticed a few recent communications from us.

This increased frequency is intentional and directly reflects the feedback we’ve received from our law enforcement partners, who have emphasized the importance of staying well-informed about any updates or issues. Our goal is to provide the transparency and timely information you’ve asked for, so you can remain confident in the reliability and security of your Flock Safety devices.

With that commitment in mind, we are writing to share an update regarding a limited configuration issue identified on a very small number of Condor video devices. No LPR devices, audio devices, or trailers were impacted.

Yesterday, we reached out directly to the small group of customers whose video devices were affected. We are now sharing this broader update to maintain transparency with our entire customer community.

What Happened
The debug interface on a small number of Condor units was temporarily accessible on the internet without password protection. These units were part of a standard testing process used to validate compatibility and reliability with cellular carriers such as Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile.

This debug interface is used solely for troubleshooting. It does not allow for any manipulation of the camera, does not provide access to the Flock cloud, and does not enable access to customer accounts, search functionality, or analytics.

The only content visible was live or recorded video comparable to what could be observed from a public roadway.

A website and a sensationalized YouTube channel inaccurately portrayed the extent of this access. Although we do not wish to draw further attention to the video, it is important that you have the facts needed to address potential questions from council members and the public. To be clear: no sensitive or confidential information was accessed or available.

Once identified, the issue was promptly corrected, and security updates were deployed across the affected devices. This was a limited, isolated configuration issue and is not indicative of a broader or ongoing concern.

For a more detailed explanation of this event, please refer to our recent blog post: Update on Limited Condor Device Configuration Issue We take security seriously at every stage of development and are committed to maintaining the trust you place in us. If you have any questions or would like additional detail, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We also encourage you to forward this information to others in your department or to councilmembers so they can be prepared for any potential questions.

Best regards,
Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Experience | Flock Safety
PS - want to opt out of communications like this? Update your preferences here .

Flock Safety
1170 Howell Mill Rd NW, Suite 210
Atlanta, Georgia 30318, United States
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From: Chris Colwell
To: Bramlette, Jennifer
Subject: What you Need to Know About Recent Online Disclosures Date: Tuesday, December 9, 2025 2:57:14 PM
WARNING: If you believe this message may be malicious use the Phish Alert Button to report it or forward the message to [email protected].

Hi CA - Ventura County SO Team,

We are aware that agencies across the country, particularly in states with broad public-records laws, are seeing increased PRA/FOIA activity seeking, among other things, LPR search logs.

Recently, a third-party website began aggregating search information that has been released through these public-records processes. We recognize that seeing investigative search activity displayed publicly can raise understandable concerns about officer safety, investigative integrity, community perception, and compliance with state law.

To be clear: Flock has not been breached or compromised. We are CJIS compliant. Regardless, we are continuing to make changes to our Product to better protect you and your officers.

The intent of this note is to provide factual context about what is happening and how Flock is responding to remediate the situation and support you.

What’s happening

A number of agencies have received public-records requests seeking detailed audit logs, and some have disclosed those logs pursuant to their state’s legal requirements. As a reminder, the Organization Audit Log is the record of actions by an agency’s own users and the Network Audit logs searches on cameras by that agency and by users at agencies they share with. Based on what we have seen, websites like the one circulating online are using agency-released Network Audit data.

To be clear:

Flock does not publish or distribute agency search logs.

Flock does not provide search histories or lookup activity to public websites or third parties.

All Flock data is owned and controlled by the agency that collected it.

We understand how concerning this situation is, and we know many of you are fielding questions from leadership, legal teams, and community members. And we are aware of at least one competitor proactively circulating false information about this situation.

What Flock is doing

We are actively developing product and policy improvements designed to enhance trust while also protecting active investigations. These updates will help agencies be responsive to PRA/FOIA requests with relevant info, while protecting sensitive information about ongoing investigations:

1. Step 1 - Offense type drop down
Starting today, we are rolling out a new required category, “Offense Type” for a search originating from NIBRS codes. It’ll better define the intent of the Flock search. Offense type will start showing up in agency accounts over the course of the following weeks.

2. Step 2 - More clarity and more protection in Network Audits In the Network Audit, we will include the information that is relevant to the agency that owns the cameras, like searching agency name, date of search, offense type, and a unique search identifier. Network Audits will no longer include officer name, specific plates searched, vehicle fingerprint, and open text search reason to protect active investigations and ensure officer safety

3. Step 3 - Better communication
Garrett Langley, our CEO, is hosting direct Q&As with command staff and their local city councils, city managers, and / or mayors to discuss this or other topics. Please reach out if you’d like to be included in these.

These enhancements are planned for Jan 31st and are designed to reduce the risk of broad disclosures like those currently circulating. We will follow up shortly with more specific information on these enhancements, and how we are proactively working to address this issue in the meantime, but wanted you to have the facts about the situation as quickly as possible.

What you can do now

Until these new tools are available, we recommend:

Reviewing your sharing settings and considering a temporary shift from Nationwide Lookup to Statewide Lookup, if that better aligns with your agency’s legal guidance and operational risk posture.

Agencies that choose to temporarily narrow sharing can revisit and reopen those settings in Q1 2026 once our new safeguards are released.

You can utilize this instructional video on how to update sharing settings. (Understanding National vs Statewide Lookup Tools)

Connect with your CSM or contact [email protected] if you’d like assistance reviewing your current audit logs and sharing settings.

We know this environment is challenging. We are committed to supporting you with clear communication, better tools, and improved safeguards moving forward. If your agency would like a deeper discussion, we’re more than happy to set that up.

Chris Colwell
SVP, Customer Experience

How We Protect Privacy While Advancing
Public Safety

flocksafety.com

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Camarillo City CouncilAugust 26, 2026

Camarillo City Council
August 26, 2026